Android App Local Files completely gone.

[UmbralCorvid]

Plan

Free

Country

United States

Device

Moto G

Operating System

Android

Suddenly the app is not recognizing my over 100 local files, yet mere hours ago it had been. Before any of you assume, I've NEVER used Spotify on a computer so this is not related to sync.

Yes, I've tried multiple fresh installs. Yes, I've moved around where the files are. No, I cannot change where the app detects files and from what I've read, trying to do so on a computer will only make things worse.

It's not a situation of them simply being grayed out, but a complete disappearance. They show up gray in my likes, but Local Files is emptier than an orphaned homeless kid's stomach. Frankly, I'm **bleep**.  I have two playlists, and without my local files EVERYTHING is thrown off.

[Mathias21345]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

canada

Device

(Samsung Galaxy 9)

Operating System

My Question or Issue

Before last month, all of my local files on my phone would just play in the default android player, then for whatever reason, about a month ago, when I click on a local audio file in my document folder in my phone, it reroutes to a Local File playlist within spotify ...although frustrating as to why this was happening or how to stop it (any answer to that would be nice too) it was fine, whatever...but! now, for whatever reason when I click on a local file outside of spotify, it reroutes me into spotify like it has been, for it to only say i have 0 local files. I go into settings and click the "show local audio files" . nothing..i've reinstalled spotify, restarted phone, same thing...ive also organized all my music into a different folder on my computer and imported that onto my phone in a different location and still no luck...the only way i can get my LOCAL audio files to work is if I uninstall spotify.

[S16XTH]

I've got the same problem, and I hate it. The local files still function perfectly fine on my desktop, but everything is gone on my phone. 

I thought it might have to do something with me clearing cache, but I really don't know. Downloading files again, downloading spotify again, and after that toggling the switch for acces to local files didn't change anything. 

I really don't know what I can still try to fix this. 

[Alex]

Hey folks,

Thanks for reaching out about this in the Community!

Sorry to hear that the Local files stopped appearing on your Android phones.

In order to look further into this, can you provide us with the following info:

• Device and Operating system version
• Spotify version
• Troubleshooting you've done so far
• Describe the steps you take to synch local files to your phone

Keep us posted on this.

[MitaW]

even I have the same problem. I can't listen to my local files on Spotify. My son sends me songs from wetransfer and I download the files, but I can't listen. It makes me so sad. I could not even a week ago but not now.

Old phone an Samsung S7 but it works fine

[denning74]

I have the same problem and it started today. The app on my phone won't recognize any of my local files. It worked fine until today. I have tried to download the files to my phone again and it still doesn't show any of the local files. I have uninstalled and reinstalled the Spotify app. It still doesn't work. I have a Samsung S8. 

[Alex]

Hi folks,

Thanks for the posts.

We are aware that there are currently some issue with local files not appearing on older phones running Android 9. The right folks are looking into the issue as we speak. It would be great if you can provide the info requested in my previous post, as this will help the team working on resolving the issue 🙂

Cheers.

[VoreQor]

I have the same issue regarding local files too.

[Mario]

Hey @UmbralCordvid,

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community. 

To confirm, do you have the Show local audio files setting on? To find it:

1. Tap Home .
2. Tap Settings .
3. Switch Show local audio files on.

Your stored music should now be accessible in Local Files in Your Library .

If you're on Android 9, it's likely you're also experiencing this ongoing issue, which you should +VOTE and subscribe to: this way, you'll immediately receive all the updates regarding a fix, as soon as they're available.

Hope you'll find this useful. Cheers!

[dickycox1957]

Having the same problem.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Android 8.0.0

Spotify Version: 8.7.20.1261

Uninstalled and reinstalled Spotify multiple times. Changed installation location, restarted phone multiple times.

i don't sync local files. The files were on my phone before I installed spotify. I simply turned on the "Show local audio files" option and added the local files to an existing playlist. They played fine until last week. (April 7th or so.)

[AndresM]

Hi @dickycox1957,

Thanks for posting on the Community and welcome,

The right team is aware of this situation, for this reason, we recommend that you visit this thread for more details related to this issue.

Despite this is reported mainly for Android 9 devices, it seems the same issue with Android 8.0. Due to it, we advise adding your vote there and subscribe to the thread to be notified of any developments.

Lastly, make sure to follow the content included on the Status update section.

Cheers!

[Celesticoot]

I had this issue a few weeks ago when I upgraded, the only solution I can give is to wait for it to come back. Took about 2 weeks and everything's back to normal, as odd as that sounds.

[Jkbisms]

I'm having a similar issue. It used to be that I could go to my files and open a file, and Spotify would play them. Now, however, when I tap on a file, it opens Spotify, and then nothing happens. Just nothing. What really sucks is that when Spotify is installed, trying to open Local files automatically opens Spotify, and there's no way to undo this. Fix your **bleep** app, Spotify

[Vasil]

Hey @Jkbisms,

You could try performing a complete clean reinstall of the app to see if this brings any change to the table.
Checking these tips may also help you out with this endeavour.
Let us know how it goes 🙂
Cheers!

[sjju]

The local files issue is a longstanding malaise of Spotify that should have been resolved years ago. The company appears to be unable to fix it.